Any software, any skill level. A celebration of game making and game makers.

Dates: March 7 - 24, 2025

Theme: Evolve and Grow. Please submit games with elements of personal growth, evolution, exploration, discovery, and experimentation. Good luck!

Jam Description:

Welcome! In the Making Jam! is part of the In the Making Festival, a new multidisciplinary arts festival coming to Cork, Ireland on April 2nd. The unique focus of this jam aligns with the festival’s goal of expanding access to the arts, platforming creators across a variety of crafts, and illuminating the process of art in the making!

Games submitted to this jam will be evaluated for selection based not only on their technical and artistic qualities, but also on the insightfulness of the supporting materials (see ‘supporting materials’ section below). This means that any game (even an unfinished game) has a chance at winning if the supporting material provides an insightful look into one or more aspects of the process of game design and development.

This jam has an optional theme - 'Evolve and Grow' - related to the In the Making Festival. We invite submissions made on any software, by game designers of any level of experience. 

About In the Making Festival:

In the Making Festival is a new arts festival in Cork, Ireland, that aims to celebrate the process behind making different artforms. This festival encourages audiences, whether aspiring artists or curious hobbyists, to explore their inner artists, musicians, actors, game designers, etc.. Furthermore, all of our events seek to enhance audience appreciation for and understanding of the complexity behind creativity.

The In The Making Festival is not-for-profit, produced by MA Arts Management and Creative Producing Students under the UCC and Cork Opera House Creating Together Partnership, and housed within the artistic program of the Cork Opera House.

Learn more at our website! 

Prizes:

The 3 games with the highest score in each criteria (one winner per criteria) will receive a €50 steam voucher as a prize, with an additional €50 voucher for the game with the highest total rating, to be announced on April 6, 2025.

Judging format: 

In-Person Voting (Judge Only); games will be showcased via an arcade gallery at the In the Making Festival in Cork, Ireland on April 2nd. Audience feedback and scores from the public will be anonymously processed and reflected in the judge scoring on itch.io for every criteria. 

Criteria: 

Mechanics and Systems, Aesthetics and Design, Supporting Materials

Supporting Materials:

We ask that submissions include attached design and development documentation intended for public display as part of the In the Making Festival. These materials should include the following, as well as any other material that might provide insight into the game design process. Even unfinished games should be submitted as they will be eligible to win based on rating in the ‘supporting materials’ category.

1. ‘Behind the scenes’ media (video clips welcome but not mandatory) submitted in a separate compressed folder along with the game. Examples include;
   1. Screenshots taken in the game engine, modeling software, shader graph editors, etc.
   2. Designer journal entries such as concept art, visual organisers, or playtesting notes.
   3. Developer journal entries, graphic organisers, and descriptions of coded systems (screenshots welcome).

Submission Requirements and Rules:

1. 5-10 minute game (or a 5-10 minute demo of a potentially longer game) made on any game making software.
   1. Submitted as a compressed file with an executable compatible to windows.
2. A brief description of the game, an approximate age rating, the goals of the designers/developers, a list of all software used to make the game.
3. Supporting materials uploaded in a separate compressed file:
   1. Zipped file must be uploaded separately as ‘Documentation or Instructions’, and should contain materials such as the following:
      1. Screenshots taken in the game engine, modeling software, shader graph editors, etc.
      2. Designer journal entries such as concept art, visual organisers, or playtesting notes.
      3. Developer journal entries, graphic organisers, and descriptions of coded systems (screenshots welcome).
4. Please credit any outside code that you use.
5. Teams of any size as well as solo projects are welcome
6. The theme is optional and will not affect consideration for selection
7. Strictly no NSFW or overly mature submissions